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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — a contest
  5. wound — an injury
  6. race — humankind
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. object — to protest
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chest — of your body
  15. plane — a tool
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bore — to drill
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bore — to tire
  20. wound — an injury
  21. chest — a box
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — an aim
  24. bore — gave birth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com